After so many glitter polishes in a row, I gave myself a little break from the tough removals with a creme. I also wanted to make my last mani with my talons a creme; for some reason I prefer a creme finish (no matter what the color, light, bright, vampy) on long nails. American Apparel Palm Springs is a peachy nude creme:

Picture taken in natural light. It’s a light color, so it was a little streaky, but the formula actually applied smoothly. It was also very pigmented, so I only needed two coats for full coverage. It gives the polish a really nice, solid appearance on the nail. I was unsure of how to describe this color; it does have peachy tones, but it’s not a typical peach pastel. It’s not exactly a warm beige because it’s orange-toned instead of yellow-toned. When I look at this on my own nails, it does look more like a peach-toned nude than a faded peach. I paired this with OPI Sand in My Suit on my toes.

After wearing so many dark and vampy colors in a row, I wanted to lighten things up, while still sticking to a fall palette. American Apparel Rose Bowl is a dusty, peachy rose creme:

Picture taken in natural light. The formula was very pigmented and applied well in two coats. I like the color so much more than I was expecting to! It’s probably because it looks so solid and creamy on the nail, due to the high pigmentation. When I look at it, sometimes it looks more pink, other times more peach. Either way, it’s a very soft, pretty color. I actually think it works for both spring and fall; I could’ve seen myself wearing this in March as well, when I tend to use dusty colors. There’s something about it that says “old-fashioned” to me, but not in a bad way, more like in a vintage way. I feel like this would look great on long, pointy-oval nails. I paired this with Essie Chinchilly on my toes.

The Yankees may have exited the postseason in the most dismal fashion, but I’ll be damned if I don’t get these last couple of greys tried this month. First is American Apparel Echo Park (Fall 2010) is a light dove grey creme:

Picture taken in natural light. This was solidly pigmented and applied well in two coats. This leans just ever so slightly warm. It definitely doesn’t have that steely, industrial quality like the othertwo American Apparel greys I’ve tried this month. The high pigmentation gives it a crisp definition on the nail, but the color still looks so delicate and soft. It makes me think of down feathers. I paired this with Sephora by OPI Go My Own Way on my toes.

My mood regarding the Yankees’ postseason has become worse and I pretty much feel like the color I’m wearing on my nails now. American Apparel 7th & Alameda (Fall 2011) is a cool dark grey creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. The formula didn’t have that totally solid, creamy texture like I hoped it would, but I still got full coverage in two coats. It’s a cool grey, but it seems to be purple-toned rather than blue-toned. I always favor the darker greys because I find them more flattering. This one is dark, but still light enough to be identified as grey and not almost-black. There’s something about it that says “industrial chic” to me. I paired this with Essie Bobbing for Baubles on my toes.

For the first of several grey untrieds I want to check off this month, I’m wearing American Apparel Factory Grey, a cool medium grey creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well in two coats. This isn’t as purple-leaning as I thought it would be. I feel like the purple tones would be most obvious in comparison to other greys. It does lean cool overall, which gives it an industrial appearance that’s totally befitting the name. It’s not unique but I do like that it’s not very light nor dark; it’s a great middling shade. The smooth, pigmented formula is a plus, too. I paired this with OPI Sapphire in the Snow on my toes.

After wearing a more unusual, avant-garde color for my last mani, I wanted to go for something in the opposite direction and picked a more traditional color. American Apparel Rouge (Fall 2010) is a dusty, deep rose creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied smoothly and was very pigmented; I needed two coats for full coverage. This kind of color can be seen as matronly but I was surprised at how much I liked it when I put it on! When I think of a “dusty rose” I normally picture a shade that’s lighter, or one that looks more peachy-pink, but this one has a lovely reddish tone, resulting in an overall darker shade. When I look at this I don’t think old-fashioned; I think retro. For me it conjures up images of ’40s cosmetic ads so I can see why it was named after the makeup (Although the first time I saw this I immediately thought of pink pearl erasers). I paired this with Color Club High Society on my toes.

I realized that I haven’t worn this color at all this year (I didn’t try a new yellow pastel last month like usual), and I remembered I still had this on my untrieds list. American Apparel Manila is a goldenrod yellow creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. This was actually solidly pigmented and the formula flowed pretty smoothly, but as expected with a yellow, I ultimately needed three coats to cover up streaks. I think manila envelopes are just a tinge more orange, but this is really close. This is a different shade from most of the other yellow cremes I have in my collection. It’s not quite as bright, and it’s warmer-toned. While it’s not my favorite kind of yellow, I couldn’t help but get this for the name (I’m Filipino :)). I paired this with OPI Dim Sum Plum on my toes.

I had several hot pink cremes on my list to try this month, so I was due to try another. American Apparel Angeline (Fall 2011) is a warm, bright pink creme:

Picture taken in natural light. This applied well in three coats. Compared to the other hot pinks I’ve tried recently, this is slightly warmer-toned and not necessarily brighter, but bolder. There’s not much to say about another pink creme, but it is pretty, and I do favor it for being on the warm side. It’s like an amped-up candy pink! I paired this with Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order on my toes.

Today I thought I’d sport a color to reflect the bit of sunny weather we’re finally getting this month. American Apparel Pink Ladies (Fall 2011) is a salmon coral creme:

Picture taken in sunlight (at last!) This applied well and was quite pigmented, but I still needed three coats to cover up cuticle drag streaks. I love when I’m pleasantly surprised by a polish! I think it looks slightly brighter on the nail than it does in the bottle, so I like my finished mani way more than I expected to. Salmon is a color that can easily look old-fashioned, but this one is lovely and vibrant. I paired this with Sephora by OPI Slushied on my toes.

Now that it’s April, I have lots of soft, light springy shades lined up. First up is a color I absolutely adore and haven’t worn in a while. American Apparel The Valley (Fall 2011) is a vibrant robin egg blue creme:

Picture taken in sunlight. This was very pigmented, enough to be a one-coater, but it was a little streaky so I ended up needing two coats to even everything out. It did apply well, with a slightly runny formula like most other American Apparel polishes. I like how the shade is light yet bright and vibrant at the same time. When I look at it, sometimes it looks more green-toned and other times more blue-toned. I’m not sure why, but I keep thinking “retro” when I look at it. It’s so pretty! I pretty much say that about any robin’s egg blue; it’s one of the loveliest kinds of turquoise. I paired this with OPI Done out in Deco on my toes.